Why Did This Woman's Breast Milk Change Color?

For every new parent, the most paramount of concerns is giving their child the best start in life. This can mean providing them with educational toys, the best clothing, and saving for their future education, but an important aspect is also providing them with the proper nutrition to fuel their development. This will not only ensure a physically healthy and hearty child, but it is also a key component in the development of their minds.

Before a child is born, it is encouraged that parents discuss the benefits of breastfeeding versus raising their child on formula. Depending on the circumstances, breastfeeding may not always be an option. However, experts and doctors agree that breast milk is much more beneficial by far. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, breastfeeding has the following advantages:

Breast milk naturally has all the nutrients babies need to grow and develop.

Breast milk has antibodies that can help prevent your baby from getting sick.

Breastfeeding can help prevent health problems in your baby, such as allergies, eczema, ear infections, and stomach problems.

Breastfed babies are less likely to be hospitalized with breathing infections.

Breastfed babies are less likely to become obese or have diabetes.

Breastfeeding may help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Mothers who breastfeed find it easier to lose weight after pregnancy.

Breastfeeding may help lower the risk for breast and ovarian cancers, diabetes, and certain other diseases in mothers.

Taking all of this information into account, Mallory Smothers opted to breastfeed her children. She had never had any issues with it in the past, but just over a week ago she noticed something very concerning — her milk had changed color.

It may look somewhat troubling, but Mallory took to her Facebook and created the post that you see below. In it, she recalls an article that she had read in a medical journal about the composition of breast milk changing based on the health of the nursing baby. What she describes as “baby spit backwash” is picked up in the nipple and, if the baby is sick, the mother will start producing milk containing customized antibodies.

So yall.. This is just cuckoo awesome-- I read an article from a medical journal not too long ago about how Mom's milk...

According to Mom.me, "Mammary gland receptors interpret the 'baby spit backwash' for bacteria and viruses and, if they detect something amiss (i.e. the baby is sick or fighting off an infection), her body will actually change the milk's immunological composition."

While mothers should always consult a doctor if they notice any changes in their breast milk, the underlying cause may actually be beneficial to their child. The human body is truly a marvel of nature.